Plastic drink-through cup lid with fold-back tab

ABSTRACT

A plastic drink-through lid of the type having a deck, a peripheral skirt, and a partially separable, preformed tab in the deck to form a drink-through hold which does not extend through the peripheral skirt. The tab has an upstanding thumb catch preformed thereon. The fold back hinge is formed in the deck immediately adjacent the tab and spaced less than about one-half of the lid radius from the periphery. This creates a very short throw which allows a user to open the tab and lock it back with the thumb of the same hand that is holding the cup.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention is in the field of molded plastic cup lidswith a drink-through feature opened by a fold back tab.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Plastic molded disposable cup lids with a drink-through featureare widely used in combination with disposable cups in retail sales ofcoffee, tea, cocoa and other drinks. Many such lids have an integralfold-back tab which allows a user to leave the lid completely closeduntil ready to consume the product contents. The user then breaks thefold-back tab free and folds it back to a locked position wherein araised feature on the tab fits into a recess on the opposite side of thelid. Examples of such lids are found in the patents to Lombardi U.S.Pat. No. 3,977,559; DeParales U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,373 and Roberts et al.U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,584.

[0003] Most of such lids have fold-back tabs in which the distance fromthe periphery of the lid to the hinge is more than half of the lidradius and, in some cases, nearly a full radius. This requires thelock-back recess to be placed on the opposite side of the lid centersuch that the tab must extend, when folded, nearly all the way acrossthe lid. It takes two hands to release, fold-back, and lock such a tab.This is particularly true of the Roberts et. al. and DeParales lids inwhich the tab extends through the rim of the lid.

[0004] To eliminate the inconvenience of such lids, some manufacturershave gone to lid designs having a pre-formed, small hole which is alwaysopen or to a flap which hinges downwardly into the cup interior whenpressed by the upper lip of the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention provides a plastic lid with a fold-back,lock-back drink-through tab which securely seals the drink-throughopening until used, but is easily operated with one hand. In general,this is accomplished by providing a normally closed, partiallycut-through tab which is near, but does not extend through, theperipheral skirt of the lid, and which folds back around a hinge whichis no more than about one-half of the lid radius from the periphery suchthat the total folding movement of the tab is very short. A raised thumbcatch is formed on the tab near the peripheral edge which is easilyengaged on one outside surface by an adult thumb so as to break the tabfree and fold it back. A locking recess is formed in the lid deckimmediately adjacent its hinge to receive the raised thumb catchtherein. Accordingly, the folded tab lies entirely on the rear side ofthe lid center when folded back, and it is easy for an adult to use hisor her thumb to break the tab free and lock it back with one hand in onecontinuous motion. There is normally no need to grasp the raised thumbcatch between finger and thumb; rather the breaking, folding and lockingactions can all be performed by the thumb of the hand holding the cup.

[0006] One or more horizontal ridges are preferably formed on the upper,outside surface of the thumb catch so as to enable the thumb to morereadily engage the protrusion and push the tab up and back. This ridgemay also used to releaseably lock the thumb catch into the lock-backrecess when in the fully open, folded back position by frictionallyengaging a second, complemental ridge on the far wall of the recess.

[0007] The short-throw, fold-back tab and locking recess described abovemay be used with a variety of lid types, including plug-fit lids andoutside fit lids.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first lid embodying the presentinvention;

[0009]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the lid of FIG. 1 taken alonga diameter running through the fold-back tab;

[0010]FIG. 3 is a plan view of a second lid embodying the invention;

[0011]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the FIG. 3 lid through thefoldback tab;

[0012]FIG. 5 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the fold-back tabs ofFIGS. 2 and 4 showing the manner of using same;

[0013]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a “cappuccino style” cup lid withthe short-throw, fold-back tab attached to the rim of a cup;

[0014]FIG. 7 is a top view of the lid depicted in FIG. 6; and

[0015]FIG. 8 is a section view of the lid depicted in FIG. 6 along theline C-C in FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, a thermoformed lid 10 is shown tohave a partially die-cut tab 12 with an upstanding thumb catch 14 formedthereon. The tab is formed in a flat deck 26 set in from the periphery ashort distance as shown in FIG. 1. The tab 12 operates in conjunctionwith a molded-in hinge 28 and a lock-back recess 22. The lid 10 isdesigned to provide a plug fit on a conventional Styrofoam drink cup 20approximately three inches in diameter. The lid may be used with beadedor rolled rim paper cups as well. The plug fit is created by a molded-inC-shaped depression 16 in deck 26 the outer wall of which is set in fromthe periphery of the lid by about its thickness of the cup wall. Thedepression projects below the rim of the cup 18 to provide an invertedU-shaped peripheral channel which receives the cup rim 18 therein. Thelid has a flared peripheral skirt 19 which engages the outside wall ofthe cup 20 when installed thereon. Depression 16 defines an includedangle of approximately 300°. Other structural and/or aesthetic features24 may be molded into the deck 26 of the lid 10 as desired in areas thatare not otherwise required for the fold-back tab 12.

[0017] The tab 12, hinge 28 and locking recess 22 are situated in thedeck 26. The tab 12 is formed by die cut lines 29 and 30 which arediscontinuous so as to hold the tab 12 closed but easily fractured toallow the tab to be broken free under slight pressure. The hinge 28 liesless than about one quarter of a radius from the periphery of the lid 10and is immediately between the tab 12 and locking recess 22. Thefoldover radius, or “throw” length, of the tab 12 is extremely short,i.e., on a lid of approximately 3½ inches in diameter, the hinge isabout ⅝ inch from the near peripheral edge. These dimensions areintended to reflect proportions rather than size limitations.

[0018] The hinge 28 is preformed in the lid deck 26 in a shallow“U”-shape. The upstanding thumb catch 14 is of generally rectangularshape and is created in the thermoforming operation along with the otherdetails. The thumb catch 14 is tall enough, i.e., about ¼ inch, to allowan ordinary user to readily engage its radially outermost surface withthe thumb of the same hand that is holding the cup 34. The thumb catch14 has a horizontal ridge 36 formed along the top edge of the outersurface to allow the user to “flick” the thumb catch 14 upwardly tobreak the tab 12 free from the lid deck 26 and fold it back in one easymotion. The recess 22 is shaped such that it will completely receive thethumb catch 14 and hold it below the lid deck 26, with only a smallamount of the tab material resting above the lid deck.

[0019] As mentioned, a small horizontal ridge 36 is preformed in theupper outside surface of the thumb catch 14. A second small horizontalridge 38 is preformed in the upper portion of the central wall of therecess 22. Both ridges 36 and 38 are sized and located such that theywill frictionally engage each other when the thumb catch 14 is in thefully folded position 42 to releaseably lock the thumb catch 14 in thefolded-back position 42.

[0020] Referring now to FIGS. 3 through 5, a second embodiment of theinvention is shown. In these Figures, elements identical tocorresponding elements in FIGS. 1 and 2 are given the same referencenumerals. A lid 44 is thermoformed from extruded sheet material toexhibit a top deck 26 adapted to overlie the open end of a conventionalcup 18. Decorative structural features 24 are formed into the deck 26.Adjacent, but spaced slightly inwardly from the periphery of the lid, isa partially die cut tab 12 having a raised thumb catch 14 which isridged at 36 to provide engagement leverage as well as a lock-backaction to be described. The rear of the tab 12 is uncut and terminatesin a shallow hinge 28. The hinge lies directly between the tab 12 and arecess 22 into which the thumb catch 14 fits when the tab 12 is foldedback. A ridge 38 on the top rear wall of recess 22 locks with ridge 36on the thumb catchl4 to lock the tab 12 in the fold-back position. Thelid 44 has a peripheral skirt 19 which engages the outside surface ofthe cup when applied thereto.

[0021] The lid 44 of FIGS. 3 and 4 has no plug fit; i.e., it isgenerally referred to as an “outside fit” and is typically used for colddrinks.

[0022] Operation of the FIGS. 1 and 3 lids is represented in FIG. 5. Anordinary adult user grasps the cup 20 in his or her right hand 32 withthe thumb 34 near the top edge of the cup. The end of the thumb is usedto push up on the thumb catch 14 to break the tab 12 free of thesurrounding deck material. Further movement of the thumb is used to foldthe tab back into the locking recess whereupon the user can drinkthrough the opening created by the tab. After drinking, the tab 12 canbe replaced to partially close the drink-through opening. Because thehinge 28 lies only about ½ inch inside the lid rim, the “throw” for thefold back is very short and full folding and locking can typically beachieved with one hand.

[0023] FIGS. 6-8 illustrate a lid 214 designed for use with a cup 210having a beaded rim 212 for marketing premium drinks such as acappuccino. Lid 214 is thermoformed from plastic sheet stock and die cutfor removal from the sheet after the various features thereof areformed.

[0024] Lid 214 has a flared peripheral skirt 216 a flat circular innerdeck 215 and an annular raised outer deck 218 approximately half ofwhich ramps upwardly on the side in which a tab 220 is partially cut toform a drink through opening 226. The tab 220 is essentially rectangularand is formed by discontinuous die cuts 222 on the outer and side edgesbut left intact with the inner deck 215 along a hinge 228. An elevatedthumb catch 224 is formed on the tab 220 to enable the user to break thetab 220 free and fold it back toward the center of the lid until thethumb catch 224 fits into a recess 230 formed in the deck 215. Lockingridges 226 and 232 are formed in the catch 224 and recess 230,respectively, to lock the catch into the recess. As was the case withthe embodiments of FIGS. 1-5, the thumb catch 224 is closely adjacentthe periphery of the lid such that it is easily reached by the user'sthumb and flicked upwardly to break the tab 220 free and fold it backuntil the catch 224 fits into the recess 230.

[0025] The drink-through opening 226 is essentially formed in thehighest portion of the annular outer deck 218 and does not extendthrough the lid rim. In a standard lid with a 1¾ inch radius, the hingelies just under ⅝ inch inboard and the tab 224, when folded back, liesno more than about 1⅛″ inboard from the lid rim.

I hereby claim:
 1. A plastic drink-through lid for an open top drink cupwith a rim, said lid being of the type generally having a deck portionand an integral peripheral skirt; the improvement comprising apreformed, at least partially separated, fold-back tab formed within thedeck portion adjacent but spaced from the skirt to create adrink-through opening in the deck when folded back; a preformed hinge inthe deck extending along the interior edge of the tab; the hinge lyingno more than about one half the lid radius from the outside edge of theperipheral skirt; an upstanding thumb catch formed in the tab andextruding upwardly therefrom; and a recess formed in the deckimmediately inwardly adjacent the hinge to receive the protrusion whenthe tab is folded back.
 2. The lid of claim 1 wherein the lid is made oflight gage, thermoformable plastic.
 3. The lid of claim 2 wherein thedeck is essentially flat.
 4. The lid of claim 3 further including afirst ridge formed on a side of the thumb catch and a second ridgeformed on an upper portion of the recess to interact with the firstridge to lock the thumb catch in the recess.
 5. The lid of claim 3wherein the lid is a plug fit lid defined by an annular groove formed inthe deck adjacent the skirt.
 6. A plastic drink-through lid for anopen-ended, rimmed drink cup, sized to be held in the hand, said lidcomprising: a peripheral skirt, an inner deck and a raised annular outerdeck surrounding the inner deck and raised relative thereto, a fold-backtab formed within the raised outer deck closely adjacent but spaced fromthe skirt to create a drink-though opening, a hinge formed in the innerdeck immediately adjacent the interior edge of the tab; a raised thumbcatch formed in the tab and extending upwardly therefrom, and a lockingrecess formed in the inner deck for receiving the raised thumb catch;the hinge lying less than about ½ of the lid radius inboard of the skirtsuch that the entirety of the tab lies on one side of the lid centerwhen folded back.
 7. The lid of claim 6, wherein the lid is made oflight gage, thermoformable plastic.
 8. The lid of claim 7, furthercomprising: a first locking ridge formed on an upper peripheral side ofthe thumb catch; and a second ridge formed on an upper portion of acentral side of the recess complementary to the first ridge to retainthe tab in a folded back position.